Tamil Nadu - Salem   

Find means to increase revenue: AIADMK

SALEM: All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) members walked out of the Salem Corporation council meeting held here on Monday in protest against the civic body’s move to increase the property tax and inadequate supply of water to southern parts of the city.

E. Balasubramaniam (AIADMK) opposed a resolution moved by the corporation seeking the council’s approval for the guidelines issued by the government for the general revision of property tax. The government, in its guidelines, directed that the proposed revision should not be more than 25 per cent for residential buildings.

Mr. Balasubramaniam said that the corporation should look into various other sources for improving its revenue instead of increasing the property tax, which would be a burden for the people. He alleged that the civic administration had reduced the quantity of water being supplied to various tanks in the southern parts of the city. Condemning the corporation, AIADMK members walked out of the council hall. They returned to the hall after 10 minutes.

Members belonging to other parties asked the corporation to remove the anomalies in the taxation system before increasing the tax.

Dharmalingam (Congress) alleged that the civic body was losing crores of rupees because of the irregularities in the taxation system. There were faulty calculations and wrong entries. Officials had undervalued several domestic and commercial properties.

AIADMK councillors said that the corporation was yet to bring hundreds of residential buildings in the city under the taxation net. Dhanasekaran (PMK) pointed out to the shortage of personnel for tax assessment and collection. Leader of the House P. Natesan (DMK) appealed to the civic body to review the existing taxation system and remove anomalies.

This, he said, would enable the corporation to improve its tax revenue.

Mayor J. Rekha Priyadarshini said the corporation would take a decision on the percentage of increase in the tax after consulting the councillors.

When councillors demanded an explanation for the prevailing water scarcity in the city, civic officials said that problems in power supply had affected pumping operations in Mettur. As a result, the city was getting six million litres of water less these days than the normal quantity. Corporation Commissioner K.S. Palanisamy said a meeting with the engineers of Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board would be arranged to discuss the problems.

When councillors pointed out to the inordinate delay in the issue of birth certificates, the Commissioner said that more personnel were deputed to speed up the process.

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